With the Heroes, Abercrombie uses his characteristic wit and pessimism to comment on the absurdity of fighting a war over two hills about which no will give a fuck in the long scheme. There's no real advantage to the matter - it's simply the vehicle for asserting the Union's power and for Black Dow to show his strength.

The cast of character is heavier than usual, especially on the POV front. However, rather than feeling bloated, they each let us view the various angles of this conflict and map out a broader view. This was especially important given the limited timescale - only around three days - and keeping the reader engaged. Calder was a big standout here, but Gorst was also really compelling. Both people that have been put down by those around them showcasing their ability to make the best of the situation to come out higher (I admit, Pacey's performance for Gorst was a big factor in me liking him). The horror of war is shown through Beck's eyes and Craw's ever-dwindling crew. Shivers - I won't discuss him for fear of spoilers, but he was an anchor in any scene he appeared. You felt his presence.

I found the book to be quite different in the first half and the last. The former involved quite a bit of set-up, placing our characters in their positions, hammering our character goals and arcs, and was generally slower. I wasn't sure I was really loving it at that point, but the back half completely flipped that, as the character finally started making moves. The repeated multi-POV chapters were also really cool. Each tried to approach the concept a little differently, but were all really good.

Overall, this was an amazing and unique entry into this series and has continued to establish Abercrombie as potentially my favourite Western fantasy author.

SERIES RANKING (Current)
1. Last Argument Of Kings (4.5/5)
2. The Heroes (4.5/5)
3. Before They Are Hanged (4/5)
4. Best Served Cold (4/5)
5. The Blade Itself (4/5)